SportsCrack

Championship Round Quick Picks

Real quick:

Pats 41 Chargers 28

L.T. whines after the game and uses the word 'class' at least 3 times. Also, Rivers gets into an argument with at least two fans in the crowd because he still thinks he's in Pee-Wee football.



Giants 31 Packers 30

Major upset in what will be a much better game than people think.

Miami Dolphins Year in Review

It was an eventful year for the Miami Dolphins, albeit a year that did not include much wins (one to be exact). Although next year does show some promise after the hiring of Bill Parcells as the ‘executive VP of football operations’ coupled with the first pick in the NFL Draft.

The Dolphins season started just like everyone else’s: with hope and a clean slate. With Trent Green under center, a confident Ronnie Brown in the backfield and an elderly promising defense, Dolphins fans were excited for the upcoming season.

The excitement continued even after a 16-13 OT loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 1. Over the next 7 weeks however, the Dolphins would rack up 7 more losses. They would lose Trent Green for the season after a Week 5 concussion (which gave the reigns to Cleo Lemon) as well as Ronnie Brown for the year in Week 7. Up until then, Brown had been running like a madman, piling up 602 yards on 119 rushes and 4 touchdowns. Going into the Week 9 bye, the Dolphins were 0-8 and had lost their starting quarterback and running back to year ending injuries.

It was perhaps at this time, as in Madden, that fans realized that even if they unrealistically won out the rest of their season, they would be 8-8 and would likely still miss the playoffs. The mood in Miami was dismal and the team members did not look happy. The depression would continue through Week 14, where the Dolphins stood at 0-13. During the 5 games since the bye week, the Dolphins had played in some close games (13-10 loss to the Bills in Week 10), some bad games (40-13 ass kicking by the Jets in Week 13) and the ugly (a 3-0 loss to the Steelers in Week 12, where we saw what was perhaps the worst playing conditions in the history of the NFL). The Dolphins were 3 losses away from being an immortal laughing stock in NFL history.

But then, something crazy happened. The Dolphins won a Week 15 game against the Ravens (surprise, surprise) and ended the entire nation’s dream of the defeated Dolphins ending the undefeated Patriots season in Week 16, which would have effectively imploded the universe. Still, the Dolphins organization as a whole was ecstatic that instead of being known as the ‘first team to go 0-16’ they would instead just be known as ‘that horrible 1-15 Dolphins team from 2007.’ The 2007 Dolphins were definitely a half glass full type team, that’s for sure. Even if they lost their remaining two games (which they did) they still won at least one game. Motivational coaches everywhere smiled to themselves.

The Dolphins ended the 2007 season 1-15 and once the good feelings of at least winning one game wore off, they realized they were still going to suck just as much next year. Then, something even crazier happened. Bill Parcells decided he was bored on NFL Sunday Countdown and wanted to get back into the NFL somehow. Parcells chose the Dolphins over the Falcons and Miami fans rejoiced. Perhaps they would not suck so much next year. Almost immediately, the new executive VP of football operations began to clean house, firing GM Randy Mueller and head coach Cam Cameron.

Dolphins 2007 Team Leaders

PASSING

Cleo Lemon: 173/309, 1773 yards, 5.74 yards per attempt, 6 TD, 6 INT

RUSHING

Ronnie Brown: 119 carries, 602 yards, 4 TD, 0 fumbles

RECEIVING

Marty Booker: 50 receptions, 556 yards, 1 TD

DEFENSE

Channing Crowder: 77 total tackles (60 solo), 1 sack (Jason Allen led the team in interceptions with 3)

Parcells would eventually bring in former Cowboys underling Tony Sparano as the new head coach a few weeks later. Considering the state of the team minutes after their season ended at 1-15, Dolphins fans have to at least feel good that the team is now on the right track with Parcells at the helm. Known for his keen eye for talent and no nonsense approach to the game, the team should look and play completely different next year, and for the better.

Who will the Dolphins take at #1? Will they trade down? Perhaps the only position the Dolphins don’t need to upgrade is running back, but with Darren McFadden available it would surprise no one if the Fins take him, considering his talent. LSU DT Glenn Dorsey is generally regarded as the best senior prospect in the entire draft and the Dolphins may very well take him. There are a bunch of different positions available with the number one pick, so it’s anyone’s guess as to which direction the team will go. But one thing is for sure, with Parcells steering them, they’ll be headed in the right direction.

Wannabe GM: San Francisco 49ers QB Situation

I’ve decided to pretend that I’m a GM of various ailing NFL teams and describe exactly what I would do to turn the franchise around. Think of it as a guideline for these teams to follow so they won’t suck as much next year.

The first edition: The San Francisco 49ers. The topic: The horrid QB situation they’re faced with.

As we all know, the San Francisco 49ers had a QB carousel this season. Four different quarterbacks lined up under center in 2007: Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer, Shaun Hill and Chris Weinke. Call me crazy but that’s a lot of quarterbacks, especially if for the most part, they all didn’t show us much skill at all (except Shaun Hill). Firstly, let’s take a look at each QB’s stats (and their full names!):

Trent Farris Dilfer: 113 completions with 219 attempts for 1166 yards (51.6 completion %), 7 TD, 12 INT, 5.32 yards per attempt and a 55.1 QB rating. Trent played in 7 games.

Alexander D. Smith: 94 completions with 193 attempts for 914 yards (48.7 completion %), 2 TD, 4 INT, 4.74 yards per attempt and a 57.2 QB rating. Alex played in 6 games (and one play in a seventh).

Shaun Hill (Couldn’t find a middle name or initial): 54 completions with 79 attempts for 501 yards (68.4 completion %), 5 TD, 1 INT, 6.34 yards per attempt and a 101.3 QB rating. Shaun played in 3 games.

Christopher Jon Weinke: 13 completions with 22 attempts for 104 yards (59.1 completion %), 1 TD, 0 INT, 4.73 yards per attempt and a 86.2 QB rating. Chris played in 1 game… and I’m not entirely sure why.

To be fair, it’s hard to compare Shaun and Chris to Trent and Alex due to the varying degree of games played. It's like comparing apples and pebbles, but, we’re going to do it anyway.

Take a long look at that list. Soak in all of the statistics. If you owned an NFL team, which QB on that list would you want running your offense? What’s that? None of them? If I absolutely had to pick one QB on the list it would be Shaun Hill, but those are stats for three games. THREE games!

Trying to give Alex Smith the benefit of the doubt(which is difficult, he nearly ruined my fantasy team this year), since he is the franchise quarterback after all, I took a look at his previous two years statistics.

2005 (rookie year): 84 completions with 165 attempts for 875 yards (50.9 completion %), 1 TD, 11 INT, 5.30 yards per attempt and a 40.8 QB rating. Alex played in 9 games his rookie year.

2006: 257 completions with 442 attempts for 2890 yards (58.1 completion %), 16 TD, 16 INT, 6.54 yards per attempt and a 74.8 QB rating. Alex played in all 16 games in 2006.

Smith’s 2007 season was riddled by injuries but even so, the games he did play in were not of franchise QB caliber. You could say his 2007 was an off year and he could improve on both his 2006 and 2007 campaigns with a great 2008. I would have to disagree – the 49ers have waited three years on this kid, it’s time to look elsewhere. Not let him go entirely, but look elsewhere.

Heading back to the Shaun Hill front (the only other on-team option – that’s right, I’m not considering Weinke and Dilfer as options) I took a quick look at his career statistics. What I found was… nothing. In his six years in the NFL, all of Shaun Hill’s career stats came in 2007 (save for two rushes when he was with the Vikings for a whopping -2 yards).

So the question that stands before us? Are three quality starts enough to base a whole 2008 season on? Of course not, so that is why the 49ers must take a QB in the upcoming draft. The Niners have the 30^th overall pick in the first round (acquired from Indianapolis) and by all accounts, they are going to take a WR with their first pick. Why shouldn’t they? Their WR situation is more sordid than the QB one. They do have the 7^th pick in the 2^nd round, however. So here are some quarterback’s that will most likely be available.

• Colt Brennan (Hawaii)

• John David Booty (USC)

• Chad Henne (Michigan)

• Dennis Dixon (Oregon)

These are all promising picks, not to mention a bunch of other sleepers that we’ll learn about at the NFL Combine. If I had to choose though, it would either be Brennan or Dixon – with a lean towards Dixon. I think the 49ers offense would benefit greatly from an agile quarterback considering that even if they get a great WR in the first round, they still won’t have an all start cast at wide out.

Hopefully the 49ers will pick a quality QB this time and sure, he’s going to have his learning curve. But coupled with a rookie WR, a rejuvenated Frank Gore and a few tweaks on defense, the San Francisco 49ers could very well return to their former juggernaut status of yore.

San Francisco 49ers Year in Review

The 2007 NFL football season has been great. Although I can’t remember a football season that I didn’t enjoy, this year was so chock full of headlines and interesting stories, it would take days to cover them all. Throw in my first full season of NFL Sunday Ticket, and you’ve got yourself a good time. Anyway, I’ve taken it upon myself to pick a few random NFL teams, and take a look at their season as well as a look ahead to what’s in store for them next year. We’ve all been talking about the playoff teams so much; I’ve felt the need to write about some of the non-playoff teams. Call it a swan song of football before I jump into writing about basketball, if you will. Anyway, today’s team: The San Francisco 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers started out the 2007 season as the trendy sleeper pick of the pre-season. They were coming off an improved 2006 performance and signed many key free agents including CB Nate Clements and WR Ashley Lelie. Frank Gore was coming off a fantastic year (1695 rushing yards, 8 TD’s) and Alex Smith appeared to be maturing into the starting QB role after an equally impressive 2^nd year in the NFL (2890 passing yards, 16 TD’s 74.8 QB rating).

The 49ers started out 2007 with an impressive come from behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the second Monday Night Game of the evening. Although the offense was stagnant for the most part, many were optimistic about it all, concluding that the Niners could come from behind and win close ball games. Not to mention, it was a divisional victory and who complains about divisional victories, right?

The optimism continued in Week 2 as the 49ers squeaked out another close win in St. Louis 17-16. Alex Smith again had a mediocre showing, but Frank Gore rushed for a respectable 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 2-0 49ers could easily have been 0-2, but they were not – and there defense was playing fantastic. 49er fans were beginning to think that all of the preseason hype was beginning to look legit and they did indeed have a playoff caliber team.

However, it was at this time boys and girls that the wheels began to fall off the 49er bandwagon. They dropped six straight leaving them at 2-6 and looking at a Monday Night match up against their division rival, The Seattle Seahawks. During this nationally televised game, the 49ers were shutout 24-0, in one of their poorest showings in franchise history. They would not win again until Week 12, an overtime thriller against the Arizona Cardinals. But by then, it was too late.

During the final five weeks of the season, the 49ers would go 2-3, beating the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They finished the season 5-11 and are generally regarded as the biggest disappointment of the entire season, when taking into account pre-season predictions. After last years run at the NFC West title, the 49ers were outclassed by the front running Seattle Seahawks in both games this year, being outscored 47-3.

There is a lot to look forward to next year, though. Patrick Willis, the 49ers first round draft pick won defensive rookie of the year honors. Frank Gore, while not having his best of years in 2007, is still relatively young and can only get better. While the defense isn’t anything to write home about, you’d be a fool to think it can’t be tweaked a bit and be a top 10 unit.

2007 Team Leaders

Passing

T. Dilfer - 113 completions, 219 attempts, 1166 yards, 7 TD, 12 INT

Rushing

F. Gore - 260 carries, 1102 yards, 4.2 average, 5 TD

Receiving

A. Battle – 50 receptions, 600 yards, 12.0 average, 5 TD

Defense

P. Willis – 135 solo tackles, 39 assisted tackles, 4 sacks

One of the big questions going into the off season for the 49ers is what to do at the quarterback position. Will they stick with Alex Smith? Perhaps they will give Shaun Hill a chance? This is a topic in and of itself (one in which I will be writing about next) but you can’t rule out the 49ers taking a QB in the draft, either. Alex Smith has appeared to hit a stopgap talent wise, but he could still get better. It is however, a major concern that the organization will have to address for the team to live up to its true potential.

One of the most glaring needs for the 49ers is of course, the wide receiver position. Darrel Jackson is in no way a #1 receiver and Ashley Lelie did not live up to expectations at all in 2007. This could again be because of the inconsistency at the QB position (the team started 4 different QB’s during the season) or the 49ers could need better receivers. I believe it is a mixture of both.

If the 49ers focus on a promising younger receiver, possibly a quarterback and depth on defense in the draft, they have a realistic shot at accomplishing next year what they were supposed to this year. We’ll all just have to wait and see.

Playoff Interview Special: Green Bay Packers

As you all know, I've been interviewing fans of particular playoff teams over the past week or so. This editions interviewee is Alex Holowczak, a very respected member of the http://armchairgm.com community.

Football Crack (FC) Be honest: Did you want Brett Favre to retire at the conclusion of last year’s season?

Alex: I wanted Brett Favre to play on, because I thought that Favre was better than Rodgers. I still think he is better than Rodgers. I do think he should retire at the end of this season, though. 2007 was his last hurrah, and it would be great if he got to another Super Bowl.

(FC) I ended up taking Priest Holmes with my last free agent pickup in my fantasy league (I know, I know) although I almost took Ryan Grant. Do you think he’s for real? What do you think he’ll do next season?

Alex: I honestly don't know. I think next year will be more of an indication. Everyone thought Larry Johnson was unbelievable when he started out, but he dipped in form in his second real year. I certainly believe he is Green Bay's Number 1 at RB. Brandon Jackson was horrible, although Deshawn Wynn was good too. I would wait until next season before passing judgement. Of course, he could just be benefiting from a good O-line.

(FC) What do you drink, if anything during Packer games?

Alex: I drink Fruit Juice - I usually watch them on NFL.com with the scrolling scoreboard. I can't really pop down the road to Lambeau Field.

(FC) Out of the rookies that played this season, who is your Green Bay Packer Rookie of the Year?

Alex: James Jones. He could be potentially a great NFL reciever. I've also been hugely impressed with Mason Crosby though, but I suppose I'd have to go with Jones because kickers always get overlooked. Both are on my keeper league, and I'm glad to have them!

(FC) Do you own a pair of Wrangler jeans?

Alex: Do I own Wrangler jeans? As it happens, no. But then, I don't own any jeans...

(FC) What’s your prediction for the Packers/Seahawks game?

Alex: I think the Packers are too good for the Seahawks, especially at Lambeau Field. I think we are stronger on both sides of the ball, and I would like to think we can beat Seattle. I also hope we win, because SSreporters was very cocky in the Seahawks-Redskins game, so I'd like it to be the Packers that end the Seahawks dreams.

(FC) What about your prediction for the year? Do you think they can beat the Patriots?

Alex: Can we beat the Patriots? No. But I think Indianapolis can if they get the chance too. I think Green Bay can beat Indianapolis, but not New England. I can't see us beating Dallas though in Dallas. So I think our challenge may end in Dallas if we have to go there.

(FC) I’m going to be honest: at the beginning of the season when the Packers started off hot, I kept predicting week after week that they would eventually fall off and suck for the rest of the season. Yes, I’m retarded, I know. What was the general Packers fan consensus going into this season? Were you surprised that they were doing so well?

Alex: I think 2006 was a good rebuilding year. 8-8 with an inexperienced squad was a good achievement. 2007 just built on it. Last year's players were all 1 year more experienced, and I think it helped a lot. They got to grips with the gameplan more than they did last year. Brett Favre said the team was hugely talented, and it seems like he was right. I personally didn't think we'd do this well, maybe make the playoffs, but they've exceeded my expectations. I thought the Pack would do well because the schedule was fairly easy to them, especially compared to our division rivals.

(FC) How did you become a fan of the Packers?

Alex: Madden 2000, I picked a random team, and it was the Packers.

(FC) How do you watch Packers games since you live in the U.K.?

Alex: I watch most on NFL.com. In the regular season, we get Sunday and Monday night games live, so if the Pack play then, I'll record them and watch the following evening. The evening games start at 3am ish. The 1pm ET starts are 6pm here, so they are easy enough to track on NFL.com. The Super Bowl will be live, so I would watch that if the Pack were in it. But even that would finish at nigh on 3am. And I have to be up at 5:30.

(FC) Who is the MVP of the 2007-08 Green Bay Packers?

Alex: Brett Favre, without a shadow of a doubt. He's been exceptional.

(FC) This has absolutely nothing to do with sports, I’m sorry, but whenever I talk to someone who is from the U.K. I ask them this. What is your favorite U.K. candy bar? What about your favorite American candy bar? Have you had that chocolate bar with the little air bubbles in it?

Alex: Little air bubbles in it? I can remember "Aeros", if that's what you mean. They're nice, I must admit. To be fair, if you say the phrase "candy bar" to anyone in Britain, you're liabel to have "stupid Yank", or phrases to that extent thrown back at you. On similar lines, it's a good job you don't have to spell favourite in front of them! But my favourite sweets... Well, I live in the Black Country, it's an old industrial heartland. If you google maps it, and look at the UK, type in Dudley, West Midlands, and I live about a mile away from that. Fairly near to Birmingham. The Black Country is famous for having traditional confectioners, and they produce a lot of good "sweets". Hard-boiled, mainly. I'm thinking of "Strawberries and Cream", "Blackcurrent and Raspberries", "Pear drops", "cola bites", and other such things along those lines. Favourite American "candy"? I don't really know which confectioners are American. Also, Birmingham is the home of "Cadbury", who are the most famous chocolate manufacturers over here. Unless "Rowntrees" are American, because Fruit Gums, or Fruit Pastilles are quite popular. Haribo, are they American? They sell well, too.

Aero chocolate = Delicious

(FC) What would the motto be for the Packers 2007-08 season off the top of your head? Real quick!

Alex: Brett Favre's last hurrah.

(FC) Excellent answers Alex, thank you for your time!